xi, 286 pages : 22 cm

"Frederic J. Baumgartner explores the long, often violent, history of millennialism as it has affected Western Civilization. From the ancient Zoroastrians to the Concerned Christians of 1998, a belief in the imminent end of the present world and the coming of the new age has motivated hundreds of sects and cults, some of which have burned out in an orgy of violence to become a permanent part of Western history. Not confined to cults, millennialism has also been part of the motivation behind the Crusades, Columbus's voyages, Marxism, and the Third Reich. In this work, Baumgartner shows why the turn of the millennium occupies such a powerful place in the Western imagination."--Jacket

Includes bibliographical references (pages 265-276) and index

The Jesus cult -- Millennialism in Early Christianity -- The first millennium -- The age of the spirit: the High Middle Ages -- The Reformation era: don't let your sword get cold! -- The Puritan revolution: the sickle of divine justice -- Millennialism in the New World -- The millennium of pure reason -- The burned-out district -- From Civil War to World War -- War and rumors of war -- Antichrist has the bomb! -- From Jonestown to Waco -- Beyond the millennium

plus-circle Add Review

comment

Reviews